Building in foreclosure; piano bar looks to stay open

Thursday

Oct 21, 2010 at 12:01 AM

The historic downtown building that houses Brown’s Corner Dueling Piano Bar and Grill is in foreclosure.

By Mark Hughes Cobb and Patrick RupinskiStaff Writers

TUSCALOOSA | The historic downtown building that houses Brown’s Corner Dueling Piano Bar and Grill is in foreclosure. But the restaurant itself is still up and running, according to its co-owners, brothers Keith Wyatt and Heath Wyatt.“What it is, there’s some partners; the people that own the building have a company with several partners, and one of them has legal issues,” Heath Wyatt said.A mortgage foreclosure sale of the property is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the County Courthouse, according to a legal notice running in The Tuscaloosa News.The Wyatts, however, said the owners plan to resolve the issue in time to prevent the sale.The property at the southeast corner of University Boulevard and Greensboro Avenue has long been known informally as Brown’s Corner after Brown’s Department Store, which occupied the building for 80 years. The foreclosure notice was filed by Alabama One Credit Union against the building’s owner, Landmark Properties LLC of Tuscaloosa, for defaulting on a mortgage debt. The people listed on various documents for Landmark Properties all say they no longer are involved with the company.Here’s what the documents show:The credit union loaned $1,840,000 to Landmark Properties on June 2, 2009. The mortgage was signed by Mary Jane Watson, who was then the managing member of Landmark Properties. The mortgage was recorded at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse on June 30, 2009, and between those dates, control of Landmark appears to have changed hands.At the time of the mortgage, Landmark Properties had six partners, five individuals and another limited liability company with four partners, two of whom were also listed as individual partners in Landmark, according to documents on file with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office in Montgomery.The latest Landmark document on file in Montgomery indicates that on June 17, 2009, five individuals and the limited liability company, Stadium View Apartments LLC, were removed as members in Landmark. On June 26, 2009, Watson was also removed as a member and as the registered agent of Landmark, and on the same date Tuscaloosa businessman Danny Ray Butler was added as the sole member and is also listed as the registered agent.Butler said Tuesday that he is no longer involved in Landmark and got out of the venture last summer.Watson said Tuesday she sold her interest in the Brown’s Corner building last year. Her attorney, Lee Benton, said the original partners were bought out last year as reflected in the ownership changes filed with the secretary of state.Records at the county tax collector’s office indicate the property tax bill for the building was sent this fall to Landmark Properties in care of Butler at his business office on Skyland Boulevard. The Wyatt brothers said they did not expect the foreclosure dispute to affect their business.“We’ll still be sending them a (lease) check every month,” Keith Wyatt said. “I think we’re going to be fine.”The building has had its ups and downs since Brown’s Department Store closed in 1978. It was vacant for years before opening in 1996 as Barrett’s Brewpub and Eatery. But Barrett’s closed after three years and Buffalo’s American Grille, which opened there in 2002, never caught on and also closed after three years.The Wyatts opened Brown’s Corner in August 2009, reverting to a semblance of the original name, after selling their Steamers restaurant in Northport to Wintzell’s Oyster House.